The All-Time Best-Ballboard-Grabbers-At-Each-Position Team

Here at 80 Percent Basketball we love players who can rebound the rock.  Oscar Robertson called rebounds "ballboards", and we think thats pretty cool so we're going to use the word "ballboards" a lot on this blog.  

The all-time best-ballboard-grabbers-at-each-position team consists of some of our favorite rebounding centers, guards, and forwards of all time.  Once again, we'll be choosing players from the years in which they were most productive ballboard collectors.  Another thing that will be taken into account is team success during these productive years along with how well the player performed in the post and regular seasons.  Also, we're only going to choose post-merger players because 1) the Wilt/Russell debate is too complicated and we don't feel like addressing it right now 2) rebounding was bloated in the 60's due to the fact that the field goal percentage was so low and teams were shooting at an extremely rapid pace, and 3) offensive rebounding stats weren't recorded until after 1973 and we like our offensive rebounding stats here at 80 Percent Basketball.  Also, modern basketball really began to develop after the NBA/ABA merger in 1976.  So that's that.  Here we go. 

First Team

C- 1983 Moses Malone (Regular Season: 15.3 rpg.  Playoffs: 15.8 rpg) - Moses won his second straight MVP award this season and helped the 65-17 76ers win their first title in 16 years.  In 1979 he averaged an NBA recored 7.2 offensive rpg and a career high 17.6 rpg.  The reason his 83 season trumps his 79 season is because in 79 his team only played two playoff games as they were swept by the Hawks in the first round.  The 83 playoffs were totally dominated by  Malone and the 76ers as they lost only ONE game en route to their championship.  Out of all the rebounders on both of our teams here, Malone might be the most fun one to watch (Rodman and Big Ben Wallace are definitely up there though).  He was such a tenacious offensive rebounder that when you watch him you almost start to feel bad for any player who gets their crap knocked around by him as he scraps for the board.  You also might feel bad for the statisticians who would have to try and count how many offensive boards he would get in a row when he did his patented get a board, miss it, try a put back, miss it, get board, try a put back, miss it, get a board, put it in routine.  It's harder to keep track then you might think, so next time you play a game in which you get a butt-load of offensive rebounds in a row, be sure to thank your statistician. 

PF- 1996 Dennis Rodman (Regular Season: 14.9 rpg.  Playoffs: 13.7 rpg) - This one was a pretty tough call because Rodman has had so many productive rebounding seasons.  In 92 and 93 he pulled down over 18 rpg for the Pistons and when he played for the Spurs from 93 to 95 he averaged around 17 per game.  Even though his numbers aren't as boisterous, we chose 96 Rodman because he had probably his best post-season ever with the exception of the Bulls first round sweep of Miami in which he averaged just six rpg in three games.  Plus, in the seasons prior to the 96 campaign, it's been noted that Rodman wanted rebounds for attention and he often missed defensive assignments in order to procure ballboards.  Okay, back to the 96 playoffs.  In the second round versus the Knicks he averaged 15.6 rpg in five games.  Then against Shaq and the Orlando Magic in the eastern conference finals he pulled down 15.7 ballboards per game in a four game sweep.  In game one of that series he had 21 rebounds to O'neal's six.  In the six game finals series vs. the Sonics he average 14.7 boards per game and had a finals recored 11 offensive rebounds in games two and six.  Yeah, he set and then tied his own record in the same series.  In no other season of Rodman's career had he been more productive in the playoffs on a championship squad.  Also, 96 was his first season with the Bulls and coach Phil Jackson, who let Rodman be himself, unlike the Spur's top men.  So Rodman was probably happier to be playing in Chi-Town and we think thats pretty cool.  Why would we want a guy on our ballboard team who isn't happy?

SF- 1981 Larry Bird (Regular Season: 10.9 rpg.  Playoffs: 14.0 rpg) - We picked 81 Larry Bird mostly because he pulled down a pretty insane 14.0 rpg (from the small forward position) in the post season for the champion Celtics.  That year (1981) the Celtics won 62 games, swept the Bulls in round one, crawled out of a 1-3 hole to beat the sixers in the east finals, and then beat Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets four games to two in the NBA finals.  In one of those final's game, we don't remember which one and we don't feel like looking it up, Bird made the famous play where he followed his miss and scooped it in left handed while the rest of his body was floating out of bounds and behind the backboard.  It kind of looked like this, just less pixely.  What else do we talk about here?  Everyone already knows how awesome Larry Bird is right?  Lets see.  Uh, as far as rebounding goes he was great from the small forward position (10.0 rpg for his career) and early in his career he was fantastic in the playoffs (12.2 rpg through his first five postseasons) and thats not to say he was bad at all later on.  The keys to Birds rebounding success were in the strength of his hands, his positioning savvy (much like Rodman), and his unrelenting determination.  It's well noted that he wasn't super athletic, so the fact that he was able to pull down 14 ballboards per game for an entire full-length postseason is pretty spectacular.  Also, he played against Moses Malone in the 81 finals, so you know rebounds were hard to come by.  Lastly, Larry Bird had a pretty bodacious mustache/mullet combo in 1985-86.  We thought that was noteworthy. 

SG- 1989 Michael Jordan (Regular Season: 8.0 rpg.  Playoffs: 7.0 rpg) - This was the year that the Bulls finished the regular season with a 47-35 record (5th in the Central Division), upset the Cavaliers in round one with M.J.'s famous shot at the foul line over Craig Ehlo, beat the favored Knickerbockers in six games in round two and lost in the east finals in six games to the eventual champion Detroit Piston Bad Boys.  That kind of run, along with his numbers, makes 89 Jordan a lock for our first team's shooting guard.  Prior to this season, M.J. was viewed primarily as a scorer because all he pretty much did was put up astronomical scoring numbers.  To prove to his antagonists that he could do just about everything on the court, M.J. set out to put up Oscar Robertson-like numbers and he did just so by averaging a whopping 32.5, 8, and 8. (Note: we really don't know if Jordan set out to "prove" anything to anybody during the 89 season.  It just sounds cool to us when it's put that way.)  So, M.J. proved to his doubters that he could do it all (he had 15 triple-doubles during the season, including seven in a row during one stretch).  In the playoffs Jordan's rebounding numbers decreased slightly but we can't fault him much due to the fact that he lead the Bulls on such an improbable run to the east finals.  Modern guards, shooting or point, don't usually grab a lot of rebounds, with the exception of Magic (we'll get to him).  Most, depending on their size, will grab between three and six a game.  So, when a guard averages eight boards a game, it's something special.  Even though he's naturally a shooting guard, Jordan actually played point guard during the 89 season, which could account for why he pulled down so many boards.  When he got a rebound, instead of one of his big men, he could instantly start a fast break without waiting for an outlet pass.  Now you're probably thinking, "Well, if he was a point guard during the 89 season then why is he a shooting guard on your silly rebounding team?".  To that we say, "Good point.  We really didn't think about that until after we were about three-quarters of the way through writing this post."  Oh well.  He played shooting guard for the rest  of his career, so he's a shooting guard on our team.  Deal with it. 

PG- 1982 Magic Johnson (Regular Season: 9.6 rpg.  Playoffs: 11.3 rpg) - Magic almost averaged a triple-double during the 82 season (18.6, 9.6, and 9.5, crazy right?) This was also the highest rebound average of Magic's illustrious career.  A lot of people think that Magic was more of a forward.  To that we say, "bull-corn!"  Magic orchestrated the Lakers offense the same way tons of other, smaller, point guards did and do.  He also ran the fast break from the point spot better than anyone before or sense.  That, to us, makes Magic a point guard, got it?  Good.  Okay, now that we've determined that Magic was in fact a point guard, we think it's safe to say that he was the greatest rebounding point guard, or maybe even just guard in general, of the modern era.  His playoff numbers aren't too shabby either.  Like Bird, Magic was an outstanding playoff rebounder, averaging 10.3 rpg in his first five postseason appearances.  In the 82 playoffs he pulled down 11.3 rpg in 14 games as the Lakers lost only twice on the way to their second title with Magic at the helm.  Watching Magic grab a board and take off on the fast break is quite a spectacle and it eliminated the need for an outlet pass, providing an advantage L.A.  Here are some Magic highlights for your viewing pleasure.   

Second Team
C- 2004 Ben Wallace (Regular Season: 12.4 rpg.  Playoffs: 14.3 rpg) - Without a doubt, 2000 Shaq makes more sense here then 2004 Ben Wallace.  But guess what?  We like Ben Wallace a lot so we picked him.  He had an afro.  Shaq was bald.  Also, Big Ben totally owned Shaq in the 04 finals when the Pistons dominated the favored Lakers.     

PF- 2003 Tim Duncan (Regular Season: 12.9 rpg.  Playoffs: 15.4 rpg) - Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward ever and he probably would have been on our first team if we didn't think Rodman was so darn cool.  Duncan's playoff rebounding numbers are staggering (15.4rpg).  In the 2003 finals against New Jersey he totally dominated the glass by pulling down a whopping 102 boards in six games (17.0 rpg).  Oh, and he also has a wizard tattoo on his chest.    

SF- 1992 Scottie Pippen (Regular Season: 7.7 rpg.  Playoffs: 8.8 rpg) - Pippen was always a solid rebounder from the small-forward spot and the 1992 season was his best year for ballboardin'.  He also upped his rebound game in the playoffs, gaining him some bonus points.  

SG- 2001 Kobe Bryant (Regular Season: 5.9 rpg.  Playoffs: 7.3 rpg) - Kobe put up pretty dang good rebounding digits from the two guard position in 2001.  But the real reason we chose Kobe is because he dropped 48 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in game four of the 2001 western conference semi-finals against Sacramento.  Also, his middle name is "Bean".  Hilarious.     

PG- 2002 Jason Kidd (Regular Season: 7.3 rpg.  Playoffs: 8.2 rpg) - At 6'4", Jason Kidd is an insanely good rebounder.  He averages almost seven per game for his career.  In the 2002 season, Kidd's first with the Nets, he led the less than impressive New Jersey team to the Finals.  He also ranks third all-time on the triple-double list, which is nice. 

Honorable Mention

1978 Dave Cowens, 2000 Shaq, 2009 Rajon Rondo, 2009 LeBron James 2004 Kevin Garnett, 2009 Dwight Howard, 1993 Charles Barkley, 1992 Kevin Willis, 2010 Gerald Wallace, 1990 Alvin Robertson, 2000 Dikembe Mutombo, 2011 Kevin Love